Don’t miss historic SpaceX launch Saturday to resupply space station – MyPalmBeachPost (blog)

A SpaceX mission to resupply the International Space Station is scheduled to launch Saturday from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida in a historic sendoff from the LC-39A launch pad.

Apollo 11 launched from that pad on its journey to land humans on the moon and it is where the first and final space shuttle missions launched in the 3-decade shuttle program.

Live coverage of the launch will begin at 8:30 a.m. on NASA TVwith a scheduled launch time of no earlier than 10:01 a.m.

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A Falcon 9 rocket will carry the unmanned Dragon spacecraft into space. It will be laden with food, supplies and experiments for astronauts living on the ISS.

NASA says about 10 minutes after launch, Dragon will reach its preliminary orbit and begin maneuvering toward the space station. It will take two days for the Dragon to reach the space station.

This cargo mission by SpaceX also will set a milestone as the first launch from Launch Complex 39A since the space shuttle fleet retired in 2011, NASA says on its website. It will mark a turning point for Kennedys transition to a multi-user spaceport geared to support public and private missions, as well as those conducted in partnership with NASA.

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Also from NASA: Some of humanitys greatest adventures in orbit began at Launch Complex 39A. Astronauts lifted off from this pad six times between 1969 and 1972 to walk upon lunar soil. Flying inside Apollo spacecraft atop massive Saturn V rockets, the astronauts left Florida and the Earth behind for two weeks, while they ventured to the moon.

Live coverage of the meet-up will begin at 7:30 a.m. Monday, again on NASA T.V. Installation will begin at 11:30 a.m.

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The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft nears the International Space Station during the CRS-8 mission in April 2016 to deliver experiments and supplies to the International Space Station. Credits: NASA

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Don't miss historic SpaceX launch Saturday to resupply space station - MyPalmBeachPost (blog)